Learn to Be Lonely
by CelticStar87
Summary: He figured that he would have to learn to live his life alone and without love, hiding out in an abandoned opera house. Then a man and his daughter moved into the opera house and began to reopen the place. The daughter has a beautiful voice but the songs she sings is sad and heartbreaking. What has caused her to sing such a song? Has the Phantom found someone who understands him?
1. Chapter 1

**Another random story I came up with a while ago. Mainly took inspiration from the song "Learn to Be Lonely" from the movie version. I only own my original characters.**

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She walked into the old, abandoned Opera House and could see the remains of what was once a lively and happy place. Her father had just acquired the building from a distant relative who had passed. There wasn't a lot of structural damage—unlike at another well-known Opera House—just a lot of dust and dirt; things that came with a building that sat too long. "Well, it's going to take some time to get this back into a suitable condition. I'm not sure who will want to attend an Opera House so soon after that horrific accident." Her father sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"I'm sure in time, Papa, people will forget about that." She tried to provide some comfort to the only family she had left. A horrible fire had taken the lives of her mother and younger sister and had left her with scars covering the right side of her body. She had been lucky—or so the doctors had said—that her face had not been touched nor were the burns severe. After the fire—after the burns healed—she kept to herself. There was no chance in her marrying now—not now that she was ugly.

"If we're going to test that theory of yours, we best get to work." He smiled at her. Even though they'd lost a lot in the fire three years ago, they, at least, still had each other. Though he knew Alexandra struggled with the scars and her appearance, he couldn't help but marvel at her positive outlook on life at times. She smiled back at him and they got to work cleaning the Opera House.

 _-a few months later, in the catacombs beneath the Opera House-_

His life had been miserable this past year—or however long it had been, he wasn't so sure anymore. He'd managed to escape the city and take refuge in an abandoned Opera House. Here he would not be disturbed… or so he thought.

"Papa, what about these passage ways? I don't think they lead anywhere other than to the catacombs below." A female voice echoed down to him.

"Leave them for now, Alexandra. The stage will take more time so we need to get started on that." A man's voice answered the first. The Phantom decided to find out who was in the Opera House. He ascended through a hidden passage way and up to the rigging behind the stage. He watched as a young woman carried a bucket of water up onto the stage.

"We've made good progress, Papa." She looked out over the seats. They'd been cleaned, the Phantom noticed for the first time… How long had it been since he'd been up here though?

"That we have, my angel." An older man stretched and walked to stand beside the woman. "Before you know it, we'll be able to start finding Opera singers who will be willing to put on a show."

"What show, Papa? Don't we need someone who can write an Opera first?" Alexandra turned her back to the seats and focused on the stage. "I can picture how this placed looked when it was in use. I bet it was amazing." She laughed.

"That's the first time I've heard you laugh since…" The man's sentence trailed off and the woman's laughter died. The Phantom found himself wondering what the man was about to say. "We should get back to work."

"Of course, Papa." The Phantom watched as the two swept and scrubbed the stage. He watched as they finished. "What about these old curtains? What should we do with them?"

"We'll have to get them down in order to clean them properly." The man stood looking at the dusty red curtains and sighed. "I'm much too old to climb onto to those riggings."

"I'll do it, Papa, but not today. I'm too tired, I might lose balance." When Alexandra looked up to the riggings her eyes locked with the Phantom's. Locked in his gaze, she barely heard her father's response. The Phantom struggled to break the gaze but he tore his eyes from hers and darted back into the darkness.

"Come along, Alexandra, it's time for supper." Alexandra mindlessly followed her father-too distracted to focus on anything but the brown eyes that had seemed to pierce her soul. The man had disappeared into the darkness so fast that it seemed like he had just vanished into thin air. "Watch where you're going, my angel." Her father's voice alerted her to the fact that she'd almost walked directly into a wall. "What is with you?"

"I'm sorry, I must just be more tried than I thought." She wasn't about to tell her father of the "ghost" she'd just seen. It was best to keep that to herself for the time being.

"We'll take tomorrow off. I need to get some supplies from the store but you can stay here and rest." Alexandra nodded. They ate in relative silence, which left a lot of time to think about the mysterious stranger.

"Good night, Papa."

"Good night, my little angel. I probably won't be here for breakfast and won't be home till late." He kissed her forehead and they headed to bed.

The next morning, Alexandra woke late and fixed a light breakfast. She headed into the damp passage ways to explore a little more of the Opera House. Rats scurried ahead but they didn't bother her. She thought she heard music but shook her head. "It's just my mind playing tricks on me." She came to a doorway. Carefully, she opened the door and found what looked to be a small chapel. Candles, covered in layers of dust and attached by cobwebs, sat forgotten in their holders. There were no names, no pictures to give her any clues as to the former owners of the Opera House. She turned around to head back into the passage way when she swore she saw movement to her right. She gasped as the mysterious stranger lurked in the shadows.

"You..." His voice was low and in one word she understood the warning in his tone. "You shouldn't be here." He growled.

"I have every right to be here. My father owns this Opera House; you are the one who shouldn't be here!" Alexandra knew she'd crossed a line when anger flared in his eyes. She knew he could kill her at any moment, yet it wasn't fear that made her look away. Something in his eyes had touched her. She lifted her gaze to meet his once more. Anger still burned in his eyes, but she felt herself take a step forward. "No one knows you're here." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I won't tell anyone that you're here... just, please don't cause trouble for my father." Tears stung her eyes but before she let them flow she hurried out of the room and back to the safety of the main part of the Opera House.

"...just, please don't cause trouble for my father." Her voice echoed in his mind. She had been frightened of him that he was sure of. When she lifted her eyes to face him again it wasn't fear he saw... it was almost as if she understood his loneliness. That was impossible though, she had someone who loved her, besides, _she_ was beautiful. The Phantom believed that the girl would likely never feel a lonely day for the rest of her life.

 _Child of the wilderness_

 _Born into emptiness_

 _Learn to be lonely_

 _Learn to find your way in darkness_

A voice drew the Phantom to the roof of the Opera House. He stood out of sight and listened to the song.

 _Who will be there for you_

 _Comfort and care for you_

 _Learn to be lonely_

 _Learn to be your one companion_

Anger burned in him as he listened to the words; words that were seemingly talking about him.

 _Never dreamed out in the world_

 _There are arms to hold you_

 _You've always known, your heart was on its own_

The sadness in the voice broke through the Phantom's anger. He then began to realize the voice wasn't talking about him...

 _So laugh in your loneliness_

 _Child of the wilderness_

 _Learn to be lonely_

 _Learn how to love life that is lived alone._

 _Learn to be lonely_

 _Life can be lived, life can be loved alone_

The voice grew quiet; broken by utter sadness in the last line of the song. Though curiosity made him want to know who was singing, he disappeared back into the darkness instead. He was sure he would hear that voice again.

Alexandra had found her way to the roof after fleeing from the dark, forgotten chapel. She managed to find a sturdy box and emotions were released. She thought about her life before the fire. They'd been happy; she'd been happy. She had been courted by a nice man; someone her father had approved of and someone she thought loved her for her. He had come to see her in the hospital only once... he had taken one look at the burns that hadn't healed yet and broke her already fragile heart.

"That fire took more than my mother and my sister. It had taken my one chance of love. Now no one will want me. I am no longer the beauty I once was." Tears poured down her cheeks as she began to sing a song she'd written shortly after the fire. It was something she kept telling herself; be happy just to be alive. Be happy and learn to live and love a life that will forever be lonely.

"Alexandra..." Her name came as if the wind had spoken. Startled and chilled, she retreated back into the Opera House.


	2. Chapter 2

_-a few months later, the Opera House's grand opening-_

"Alexandra, are you ready? The first guest should be arriving any moment now." Her father knocked on her door.

"I'm coming, Papa." She made doubly sure that the scars on her arm and back were properly covered. After making sure her hair was fixed just right, she made her way to join her father. "Tonight is going to be great, Papa." She smiled even though her nerves were a mess. The Phantom had been sure to leave her little messages since that day in the chapel. He had promised not to cause any trouble for now, and so far he had kept his word.

"Stop fussing, my angel, you look lovely." Her father offered her his arm, but she didn't take it, and the two proceeded to the entrance of the Opera House. At first the crowd seemed small, but after a while there was a line outside. The show wasn't supposed to be very long; the main objective of the night was to let the people see what had been done to the Opera House.

"It seems like a lot of people are interested in what we've done with the place." Alexandra whispered to her father when there was a break in the crowd.

"It would seem so, Miss Alexandra." That voice made her heart stop. She turned to her left and saw the familiar face. It was the Count de Treville and his son. Fear rose as she watched the son look her over. The man had broken her heart but now it was as though he wanted her back.

"Misuer Count, what a pleasant surprise." Alexandra curtsied as she greeted the men. "If you'll excuse me for a moment..." She curtsied again as she headed out of the entrance hall. Her heart was racing and her senses were alert to everything. She heard footsteps approaching and turned to see that the Count's son had followed her.

"Alexandra, it's been a while." He spoke as he got closer… and closer still. Alexandra tried backing away from him only to find herself backed against a wall.

"Philip, it's nice to see you again." She lied as she tried to sound as normal as possible. In the year or so that she'd been some-what herself again, Alexandra had thought back on her relationship with Philip. He had seemed nice enough when they were in a room with others but he was a different person if they were ever alone. He was always standing so close to her; his grip always strong. There were times when she'd been afraid to look him in the eyes because of what she would see. But she had thought herself in love with him… now she wasn't so sure.

"How have you been, my sweet?" He moved so that she was completely trapped. That pet name gave her chills. "It's been too long." He ran a hand up her arm, making her even more uncomfortable.

"That's your own fault, Philip." She stiffened and drew from whatever source the sudden strength and courage came from. She looked him directly in the eye and then pushed him out of the way. Shaken, she hurried to the roof. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she leaned against the wall.

"Tears do nothing for you." His voice startled her but at the same time soothed her. "What has caused these tears?" The Phantom wasn't sure what had come over him. He had been watching from the roof and was surprised when Alexandra burst through the door.

"Nothing." She wiped the tears away and straightened. He was walking towards her and she couldn't move. The harder she fought the tears, the more that came.

"You lie." He was really close to her now; closer than he'd ever been before. He wasn't sure why he was so concerned for this woman. There was something about her that drew him to her. "Don't lie to me." He wiped away her tears, but the look in her eyes made him stop. She was sad, afraid, shaken… Before he knew what he was doing he pulled her into him. As he held her, he could feel her body shake from the sobs.

"Alexandra!" An unfamiliar male voice called out. The Phantom felt her stiffen and then pull away from him.

"You best get out of sight." She smiled weakly at him. "But…" She reached out and grabbed his arm as he turned to leave. "Please, don't go far?" The tone of her voice made him tense. She was pleading with him and he could see in her eyes that she was terrified. He nodded and she released him. He ducked into the shadows, blending in perfectly.

"There you are, my sweet." Alexandra tensed as Philip came close to her. "Your father sent me to find you. He wanted to make sure you were alright."

"You can tell him that I'm fine." She stepped away from him. As he went to grab her, he grabbed the sleeve of her dress and ripped it. As he noticed the scars on her arm, anger shone is his eyes.

"I should have known… should have remembered." Philip hissed before striking her. She stumbled to the ground as he stormed back into the Opera House. Alexandra struggled to get up. Her face stung and tears flowed. She felt strong hands help her to stand and steady her as she faltered.

"Come with me." The Phantom guided her through the dark passage ways down into the catacombs. She didn't say anything and held tight to his arm as she followed. The Phantom still could not understand the power this woman had over him. As he thought back to Christine he stopped dead in his tracks. Anger and resentment filled him and he couldn't focus on anything else. He shoved Alexandra away from him, causing her to stumble and fall. He left her where she fell and hurried back to the confines of his home.

 _Who will be… there for you…_

 _Comfort… and care…_

Alexandra's voice echoed through the passage ways as she tried to stand. Her voice reached the Phantom but did no effect this time.

 _Never dreamed out in the world_

 _There are arms… to hold you_

 _You've always known… You've always known…_

The loneliness of the passage way and the old wound that had ripped open weighed her down. She sobbed as she slid down the wall. "Alexandra, you will forever be alone. You are ugly, get used to a life that is lived alone." Her words reached the Phantom and he snapped from his dark past.

 _So laugh in your loneliness_

 _Child of the wilderness_

 _Learn to be lonely_

 _Learn to love life that is lived alone_

 _Learn to be lonely_

 _Life can be lived, life can be loved alone_

Her voice was still shaky, but stronger as she sang the last stanza. She took a deep breath and as she was about to use the wall to stand, a hand reached out in front of her. She looked up and was surprised to see the Phantom standing before her. She didn't know what had caused the sudden harshness towards her and that frightened her. This fear caused her to be cautious.

"I'm not going to hurt you." His voice was soft and she was mesmerized by what she saw in his eyes. She placed her hand in his and followed as he led her to his home. "That song you were singing… did you write that?" He saw her nodded slightly. He regretted the way he acted… and that confused him even more. He wasn't soft; he didn't feel sympathy for anyone. He wouldn't allow himself to open up to anyone; the world had not been kind to him so why should he be kind to anyone else?

"I'm sorry." He was startled by her voice and her words. "I don't want to bother you… but I just can't go back up there… not while _he's_ here." They reached the Phantom's home and he sat her on a bench. In the bright candle light he could clearly see the scars on her arm and upper back. She tried to cover them when she noticed him staring but he stopped her. He gently traced the red mark that had lingered on her face and his anger grew.

"Who was that man?" He asked as he went to find something that she could change into.

"A former suitor… I thought he loved me for me. After the fire, I knew differently." She looked at the ground as tears stung her eyes. "Tonight is the first I've seen of him since I was in the hospital over two years ago."

"Here, this should fit you." The Phantom handed her a short-sleeved, pale-blue gown. It was something he had found a few weeks ago… he had been meaning to give it to her anyways.

"Thank you." She smiled warmly at him. He showed her where she could change. He was playing a small piano when she came back and he faltered the fingerings when he saw her. She grabbed his cape that was hanging nearby and draped it across her back. "I haven't worn short sleeves since before the fire. I'm afraid I'm not used to showing my arms anymore."

"What happened?" He watched her sit back down on the bench. Pain, sorrow, and darkness descended upon her face as she thought back to that awful day. He regretted asking. Fighting the urge to sit next to her, he gripped the piano bench tightly.

"I'm not sure how it started. Momma and Elizabeth were in the living room. Papa and I were in the study looking over some new sheet music. Before we knew what was happening the back of the house was full of flames and smoke. I could hear Momma and Beth crying out for help, but it was too late. I tried to get to them but the right side of my dress caught on fire. Papa grabbed me and put the fire out before carrying me outside." She stood and walked towards the piano. "There was nothing we could have done for them… Sometimes, I still hear their screams. The doctors had said that I was lucky. The flames never touched my face and the burns were not severe. Philip came to the hospital one day, before the burns had healed… he took one look at me, said that it was over and I never saw him again."


	3. Chapter 3

"He was a fool." The Phantom wasn't sure why he'd said that. He stood up and ran his hand down her arm. She'd never felt a touch so soothing; so gentle. He watched as she responded to his touch; as she melted into his arms. When her breathing softened, he knew she'd fallen asleep. He smiled a little and carried her to the bed. He headed for the opening of the passage way but looked back at her before ascending to the main part of the Opera House.

"I'm sure she's fine." The Phantom lingered in the shadows until he could catch Alexandra's father alone. The man, Philip, and another gentleman stood near her father. "Come, my son, it's time we went home. Andrew, it was a wonderful opening, I'm sure we'll be back for more operas. This city has been too long without this Opera House." Philip and the other man left. The crowds thinned and the Phantom now made his move… though he wasn't sure why he was doing this.

"Sir, may I have a word with you." The Phantom approached Alexandra's father as he made his way to his daughter's chamber. The man was clearly distraught.

"Not now, I need to check on my daughter." Andrew said, clearly not paying attention to anything. "I'm sure it was seeing Philip that caused her to miss the opening."

"Alexandra is safe. She is asleep; there is no need to disturb her." This caused Andrew to look at the Phantom.

"How do you know?" Andrew studied the Phantom and realization dawned on him. "I've seen you around, lurking in the shadows. I assume you made your home deep in the catacombs of the Opera House." The Phantom nodded. "You have stayed in the shadows until now, why?"

"Alexandra asked me not to cause trouble for you and so I have stayed out of sight… or so I thought." The Phantom still had no idea why he had come to this man. "Your daughter has had a rough night, and she has sought refuge in the catacombs for the time being. She has been unharmed by me but I cannot say the same about Philip." He felt the anger grow as he thought about what had taken place on the roof. "If he comes near her again…"

"What has Philip done? He is a nice man and has shown nothing but kindness for Alexandra." Andrew tensed. He could see the anger in the Phantom's eyes.

"You are wrong, Papa." Her voice made both men turn to look at her. Alexandra was leaning against the wall. It was clear that she was still tired. She looked at the Phantom and smiled weakly.

"You should be asleep." The Phantom said and offered her his hand. He couldn't be angry in her presence. He realized that he didn't feel alone when he was with her. She placed her hand in his and walked towards him. They could feel Andrew's eyes watching them, but Alexandra could only see the Phantom. "That man will never lay a hand on you again." The Phantom placed a hand on her still-reddened cheek; his anger towards Philip subsiding to a different feeling towards this woman standing so close to him.

"What has Philip done? He's always been so kind to you." Andrew finally asked. He'd never seen his daughter react this way to any man before. She was so willing to be touched… something not even he could do since the fire. Jealousy flared and he grabbed Alexandra and pulled her away from the Phantom.

"Ow! Papa, let go!" She tried to pull free of his grip but it grew tighter. As she struggled, the Phantom grew angry but he had to remind himself that this man was the girl's father. "Papa, you're hurting me." She did one quick yank and as she did her father released. The sudden movement caused her to lose her balance. Before she could hit the ground she found herself wrapped tightly in the Phantom's arms.

"Alexandra, I'm sorry. I haven't been able to even touch you since the fire, but I stand here and watch you with him…" Andrew hung his head in shame at what he'd just done.

"Papa…" Alexandra turned to face her father but still stood in the Phantom's arms. "Papa, the Phantom has been very kind to me. That's not to say you haven't… I love you, Papa. You are the only family I have left, but the memory of the fire still lingers. I still hear their screams; I still feel the heat from the flames on my arm and back. Philip is not a nice man. Sure in public he can act all gentlemanlike and kind… but he left me in that hospital room with a broken heart. He only wanted me because I was beautiful. He never truly loved me, and when I became ugly he tossed me aside. Tonight he acted like he wanted to restart something, but then he ripped my dress and remembered the scars… remembered that I was no longer beautiful."

"Alexandra, look at me." The Phantom turned her to face him. "You are not ugly. How can someone with a beautiful soul be ugly?"


End file.
